


A Second Chance

by puzzlingnerd57



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU from Season 4 Episode 5, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Based on a facebook post, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Feelings, Fluff, Like, M/M, Maybe ooc? Idk, Trip Lives, Very sporadic updates, once a month if you're lucky, the first chapter at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-12-25 00:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12024594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puzzlingnerd57/pseuds/puzzlingnerd57
Summary: AU from end of 4.5. When Fitz found himself stuck in another dimension following the events at Roxxon, he never expected the revelations he would discover. Nor could he have predicted what happened once he escaped.





	1. A Second Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from a Facebook post that read: “What if ... those people who appeared to have gone thru failed terregenesis were actually transported to where ever Coulson, Fitz, and Robbie are right now?”. It was then followed up with #triplives, which I think every fan wanted. So I asked if I could write this story, and was given the green light. I know this doesn't happen, AU duh, but I started writing this before 4.6 came out.  
> Hope you guys enjoy my first story on AO3! This is crossposted from fanfiction.net.

Fitz looked around. He had no idea where he was, or where Coulson and Robbie were. Come to think of it… was he even alive? The last thing he remembered was a blinding white light; the computers acting up; something going wrong.  
“Hello?” he called, his voice echoing through the empty corridor. Fitz felt his heart rate increasing. Were Coulson and Robbie there at all? Were they alive?  
“Anybody?” As the last syllable reverberated, he realized that he should move. He was in a corridor. There had to be some kind of turn, some kind of door, some way out. Right?  
Fitz turned his head left, then right. Both directions were identical concrete hallways with yellow utility pipes on the walls. No markings were present apart from the pipes, which bore nothing more than serial numbers. Making a split-second decision, he turned and began to walk to the right.  
Endless possibilities streamed through his mind as he slowly walked. Maybe the trio had just been split up. Maybe they were still in the Roxxon lab. Or… Maybe whatever happened was similar to the rock that yanked Simmons to that cursed planet. Maybe they were in an alternate dimension. Maybe they were dead. Maybe, he hoped, he had been hit in the head and was having some bizarre hallucination. Maybe, he wished, he was back at the base, Simmons checking on him to make sure he wasn’t in a coma. Maybe, he prayed, he was still in his labs, before he had been sucked into the team. Maybe that was it. Maybe it was some sort of chemical explosion, possibly a new ICER round went wrong?  
So caught up in his thoughts, he barely recognized that there was a sound behind him. Something more than the slight tone of his even footsteps. It was heavier, faster, louder than he knew he was being. Fear shot through him, as he realized that he was being followed. Not wanting to risk finding out if it was a friend, ally or enemy, he took off.   
As he ran, Fitz automatically started scanning for doors, closets, anyway that he could get away.  
“Fitz?” an oddly familiar voice yelled after him. Fitz couldn’t place the tone or accent apart from that it wasn’t either of the men he had been in Roxxon with. His lungs screamed for air as he finally caught sight of a service door to his left. Lunging towards it, he began to frantically twist and tug on the door.  
‘Locked!’ his mind supplied as he began to panic. Whipping around, hand still on the knob, he scanned frantically for any other possibility. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and twisted him around.  
“Fitz? What are you doing here?” Fitz stared wide-eyed at his follower. It couldn’t be. Coulson and Skye (Daisy his subconscious whispered, but no, she had been Skye then) had said…  
“Trip?!”  
\---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8----8----8---8----8---8---8---8---  
Coulson flexed his hand as he walked, methodically cataloging the situation. He had seen a lot in his time as a SHIELD agent, and even stranger things during his time as director. Being transported by a wave of white light was rather unusual, he would admit, but nothing that happened to him was ever any type of normal.  
His mind picked up on the smallest details: the type of pipes, the smell of the air, the non-existent noise, a few odd shards of glass. Vaguely, he remembered a corridor marked on the Roxxon map that seemed to have a similar layout. Most importantly though, he recognized that Fitz and Robbie were nowhere to be found. Both of them had been in the building when the wave had hit. How far had it gone? Where did it come from? Was the whole thing a trap, or was it some kind of failsafe on the technology there? Was there a way to figure out where they were? Were their friends searching for them? Were they, as much as Coulson hated to think of it, alive?  
“Coulson? Fitz?” a Hispanic voice called, a faint echo along the corridor. Coulson turned, moving towards the voice.  
“Robbie? Is that you?” he yelled back. Quick footsteps headed towards him to reveal a tired looking Robbie Reyes.   
“I was looking for you. I think I found a way out. We gotta hurry though. It looks like it’s gonna close soon.” Robbie said. Coulson turned around, looking away from the… whatever the thing inside of him was called. There was no sign of Fitz.  
“Coulson?” Robbie asked. The agent turned back.  
“We can’t leave Fitz.” He decided. Robbie shook his head.  
“We may not have a choice. If that thing closes, I doubt it’s gonna reopen anytime we’d live to see it.” Coulson looked down each hallway again, troubled. He couldn’t betray Fitz like that. Robbie looked at Coulson.  
“I don’t like it either. But at this point, we’re the only ones who know where this is, and what it’s like. Someone’s gotta leave here and tell the others so they can figure out how to get us back.” Coulson looked back at the Hispanic man, pain shining through in his eyes.  
“The second we get back, we work on getting him out.” Robbie nodded, before they turned around and headed in the direction Robbie saw the portal.  
‘Fitz,’ Coulson promised ‘I will find a way to get you out.’  
\---8---8---8—8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---  
Fitz couldn’t help but stare at the figure in front of him. It couldn’t be Trip. It just couldn’t be. Trip was dead, destroyed by the same thing that made Daisy into Quake.  
But at the same time, he knew it was. The same way he knew Jemma had been alive on that alien planet, the same way he knew that Daisy wasn’t dangerous when she got her powers. Trip looked the exact same. Same mustache, same thin beard, same outfit even. It was as if he was standing at the entrance to the temple again, watching as everyone prepared to destroy the ancient city.  
Fitz choked on his next breath. It was so surreal, that it couldn’t be real. He began gasping, fighting for every breath as he tried to make sense of it. This couldn’t be happening, couldn’t be real. But as Trip drew him in closer, gently rubbing his back, whispering gentle words to him in an attempt to stop his panic, he knew that whatever this was, wherever this was, Trip was real. He clung to the man, letting the emotions he had long held back over his death wash over him as warm arms surrounded him, calming him and healing him in a way that Fitz had never thought possible.  
Fitz didn’t know how much time passed before he and Trip finally separated, wiping away tears as he went.   
“How? I mean, the… the… the….” Fitz cut himself off, frowning as his stutter returned for the first time in a long while.   
“That mist stuff?” Trip interjected, watching the Scot carefully.   
“The terrigen. Yes. We all thought it killed you.” He whispered, feeling ashamed. He thought he had gotten over the stutter. It had been a long time since he had done that. Since he had forgotten a word. He hadn’t done that since before…Maveth.   
Trip sighed mournfully. He must have not been gone as long as he thought, if Fitz was still struggling with his words. The younger agent’s appearance made it seem as though it had been years. He had been praying to a God he knew probably didn’t exist wherever he was that Fitz was healing faster than before. Apparently there was no God there.  
“I gotta be honest with you Fitz, I thought I was a goner. When that stuff covered me, I said to myself, ‘This is it, I’m done for’. But next thing I knew, I was in this hallway, alone, covered in dust and seriously confused.” Fitz sniffed quietly. He was struggling after less than an hour in this place. He couldn’t picture trying to be alone for almost 2 years. Hearing the soft noise, Trip pulled Fitz into another hug, and basked in the feeling of physical contact, after however long it had been. Feeling the younger agent slump against him, he carefully lowered them to the ground, pulling Fitz partially onto his lap as the agent trembled in his arms.  
“Fitz? You with me bud?” Trip whispered after a few minutes. He felt Fitz nod into his chest, and continued to hold him as the shaking subsided gradually. Trip was about to pull away when Fitz began to speak quietly, accent heavier than Trip could remember.  
“After ye… vanished, there wus an earthquake. We barely made it out.” He shuddered, remembering all the fear and anguish. Trip held him even closer.  
“It wasn’t until later that we found out that whatever that mist wus, it did somethin’ to Skye. If she got scared or upset, stuff would shake, or shatter. We learned from the Lady Sif that it meant she was part Kree.” Fitz unburrowed his head to look up at Trip.  
“She has alien blood. It meant that when that thing touched ‘er, she got powers.” He nestled back into the body behind him.  
“We discovered that Mack, Hunter and Bobbi were workin’ for a group called Real SHIELD, that dinna’ like how Coulson was runnin’ things. Skye accidentally let loose her powers and wus taken to a place called Afterlife, where lots of people like her lived and trained. She met her mum, but…” Fitz stopped.  
“But what?” Trip prompted. Fitz sighed.  
“But her mum was evil. She started a war with SHIELD, and almost killed Skye and May. After that, Skye decided to start goin’ by her birth name, Daisy.” Fitz once more cut himself off, scared to tell Trip what came next.  
“Then we found this monolith. It… it…” he took a shuddering breath. “It sucked Jemma up and tossed her on an alien planet.” He felt Trip inhale below him, but kept going.  
“Daisy became head of a team of inhumans like herself. With the help of her abilities, we were able to get Jemma back. May’s ex turned out to be an inhuman also, but ‘e couldn’t really control it.” Haltingly, Fitz continued his description of what Trip had missed. He refused to look at the other man though, scared about what he would think of everything. Once he finished, Fitz fell silent. Neither said anything for a long while before Trip spoke.  
“I knew it felt like a long time here. I can’t imagine going through that Fitz.” Trip looked down at the agent curled up on his lap, before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on the red curls. He felt Fitz start, before nuzzling back in and staying silent. The two continued to sit before Fitz sat up, frowning.  
“What is that?” he asked. Trip followed his gaze to the ground, where shards of a glass like material lay. He shrugged.  
“I don’t actually know. Honestly, I never really noticed it. It’s everywhere, so I always thought it was just part of this place. It did strike me as familiar though. I mean, the last real thing I remember is destroying that crystal thing in the temple, so…” He stopped, not sure what else to say. Fitz crawled off the agent’s lap, and gingerly picked up a larger piece. He held it up to the light, watching it reflect with an other worldly light. Familiarity struck him as well, and he watched it flash with streaks of blue, purple and a rainbow of colors. Then it hit him.  
“It’s the Terrigan crystal! This is… it’s what brought you here!” Fitz turned back to Trip, eyes gleaming with excitement.  
“You said it’s everywhere?” He asked. Upon receiving a nod, he jumped to his feet.  
“Then there may be other people here somewhere! Maybe Coulson or Robbie found them! Maybe we can use this crystal… this material, it could be our way out!” Fitz exclaimed, jumping in happiness.  
Trip shifted from his spot still on the ground. The last time he’d seen Fitz this excited was before he was injured, before Hydra. But…  
“Fitz.” The scientist turned to face his companion, smile fading as he took in the sad look on his face.  
“I’ve been here for almost two years. I’ve wandered these halls that whole time, and never once met anyone else. I’m sorry, but I think we’re alone here.” Fitz stopped. No, they couldn’t be. There must have been hundreds of people who went through failed Terragenesis. Daisy had told him about Afterlife, how everyone there was waiting for a chance to see if they were “worthy”, but how more of them died than gained abilities. It couldn’t be just him, Trip, Coulson and Robbie. He shook his head, banishing the depressing thought from his mind.  
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try and find a way out. We have to try Trip, please. At the very least, we need to find Coulson and Robbie.” He wobbled slightly, suddenly feeling drained and tired. Trip steadied him.  
“We will, but for now, you need to rest. Sometimes, odd items would show up around here. Let me help you to where I’ve been staying here.” Fitz sluggishly nodded, almost toppling over, before Trip swept him into his arms, and began walking. It didn’t take long for the gentle rocking motion and the warmth of the body carrying him to lull Fitz to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz wakes up, Trip worries, and there is a chance that they could escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got stuck behind a literal cliff of writer’s block. Chapters like these remind me why I never, EVER force myself to write to a schedule. If a chapter wants to come out, I let it. If it wants to stay stuck in my brain while I try and work it out, it can. Sorry not sorry for sporadic updates.   
> Speaking of apologies, I’m sorry for the bad accent last chappy, but I don’t normally write accents. Or post stories with not really good titles.. Normally I know what the title will be before I publish, but I didn’t know for this one, so if you can think of a better one, please, please, PLEASE comment it, or tell me. I really don’t like the title I came up with. It just seems too cliché for me. The only other option I had was to just title it #triplives, but I thought that would be a little… weird? IDK.  
> You know the drill with disclaimers and all that typical author schtuff.  
> p.s. This chapter introduces a bit of the direction I will be heading in terms of pairing. It will be slash, so don’t like? Click out now. Don’t even try to look in rose tinted glasses to make it a bromance. It will be slow-burning, but it will be full on malexmale, with the slightest potential for smut. Maybe. If I can bring myself to write it well. Without getting so embarrassed that I stop part way through. And delete it all. While living in a freshman dorm. We’ll see…

When Fitz woke up, the first thing he was aware of was warmth. But where was he? The last thing he remembered… He shot upright as memories flashed through his mind. Roxxon, Robbie, Coulson, Trip. A firm hand steadied him as he jolted.  
“Easy there Fitz. Your safe.” Trip’s voice washed over him, calming his frantic heart rate and reminding him just where he was. As his vision cleared, he found he was sitting on a random of blankets, pillows and other various cloths. Small lights (Christmas lights?) were strung along the walls of the small room, which was filled with random items, some that Fitz recognized, some that he didn’t. Overall, the room felt like it could be a home.  
“You’ve been out for a while. Maybe, 9 hours?” Trip guessed. It was always hard to track time in the void where they were stuck. Any clocks that came through simply stopped.  
Fitz blushed, not quite sure what to say. A flash of light drew his attention to a small shelf, where a piece of the Terrigen crystal sat, reminding Fitz about what he felt he needed to do next. He started to get up, only to be pushed back down.  
“Woah, don’t push yourself too hard. First week or so that I was here, I pushed myself really hard, trying to figure out what happened. I ended up passing out for what I think may have been days. Something about getting here drains you more than you’d think.” Trip admonished. Frowning, Fitz tried to push himself up once more.  
“I cannot just sit around here. We have to find Coulson, and Robbie, and we need to get more of those crystal shards so we can make some kind of way out, and…” Trip shushed him.  
“And we will. But if you don’t rest enough, you won’t last another day before you collapse again.” With a groan, Fitz flopped backwards.  
“Fine. I’ll rest more. But don’t think I won’t try to get up every time I’m awake.” Turning away from his friend, he curled up on his side. Trip quietly began to hum, something that he found grounded him and reminded him of where he came from. As he listened, Fitz slowly sank back into a deep sleep. The last thought that echoed in his mind was that he felt safe.  
\---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---  
The next time Fitz woke up, Trip was leaning against the wall opposite him, eyes closed and breathing steady. Slowly, he sat up, taking care that he wouldn’t fall over. As he sat up, he took a few moments to further examine the room that Trip had claimed as his refuge in the timeless corridors they were in.  
Each wall was lined with shelves that were packed tightly. Mismatched bins and boxes held a jumble of random parts, some with wires dangling down, others with cloth scraps hanging out. Fitz could make out some familiar shapes, ranging from an old antenna radio to a plush Easter bunny mixed with a stack of assorted books and what appeared to be a set of Lego bricks, half assembled. Small strings of what he realized were indeed Christmas lights dangled from the tops of shelves and across small hooks and nails attached to the walls.  
His attention was then drawn to the only other person he had seen, Trip. He’d never paid much attention to the agent outside of suspicion and distrust, then a blur of ‘try and help’ after his injury. Initially, it had been that Trip had been trained by Garrett, the same man who trained, and turned, Ward, who turned out to be Hydra. How could they trust him? They had no way of knowing. Then he was getting weirdly close to Jemma, and at the same time, there was that suspicion. Why else would he try and get close to one of SHIELD’s top biochemists? Obviously Hydra had been trying to create enhanced soldiers, so it made all too much sense that they were going after Jemma for her work with both the Centipede serum as well as the GH-325.  
Then, he had been injured. Brain damage, everyone around him had whispered, acting like they weren’t treating him like he was fragile. No, they had reasoned, he was just volatile. He had been betrayed, and badly hurt, and this isn’t the same Dr. Fitz who had joined SHIELD they claimed as they gossiped. But Trip was different, just like Mack had been different. Trip didn’t treat him like he was about to break. Sure, he was cautious about certain topics (all of them were), but he was there. He kept him going, reminded him that things would, not could, get better. He would be okay. Mack treated him like Trip had, but the secret keeping, the hiding, the undercover group hiding within SHIELD reminded him too much of what Hydra had done not that long before. Trip treated him like Fitz. Not Dr. Fitz, the supervisor, or Turbo, the friend who couldn’t know about Real SHIELD. Trip acted as though he hadn’t changed, hadn’t been brain damaged. He just kept teasing him about Moby Dick, and humming Heigh-Ho whenever he started modifying the DWARFs.  
Looking at him now, Fitz couldn’t help but notice that the man wasn’t bad looking by any standards. Toned muscles that he knew could be equally dangerous to enemies and gentle towards those who needed help. A kind face that was smooth and relaxed with sleep, but he knew could be just as hard as any stone. Were his eyes to open, Fitz knew that they would look at him with concern and friendship, but he’d seen them glare at Hydra agents as though he wanted to kill them with his stare. Even in the silence, he knew that if Trip started talking, his voice would be completely controlled if needed, but also could joke with Daisy, hum any Disney song or laugh in a way that even could make May smile.  
Fitz always knew he didn’t just like girls. To him, love is love, and whatever form that love takes is just fine. He had had a crush on Jemma, but once he realized that she saw him as only a brother, he was quick to admit his views to her. He had been afraid of her reaction, but she just smiled and told him that he wasn’t different. After all, isn’t love just a more complicated version of a strong friendship? Why would she reject him for that? Then she laughed and pulled him into a hug, warning him that if they ever had eyes for the same specimen, as she called it, they’d better admit it and move on instead of risking their friendship. Shortly after that, they had been called to Coulson’s team, and their lives became a whirlwind of danger, magic and aliens that left little time to have crushes or start any sort of relationship.  
However, Fitz did notice that Trip did strike him as attractive. He would openly admit that he liked being short because it meant he could someday find himself wrapped up in someone’s arms if they were taller than him. He loved the idea of being with someone who didn’t treat him differently because he loved science, or was obsessed with monkeys. He dreamed of finding someone who loved and cared about him because he was Fitz, and not some fantasized image of a perfect male. Sitting in that small room, watching his only companion take slow even breaths, Fitz realized that Trip didn’t just strike him as attractive. He was attracted to him.  
The thought sent his mind into a flurry, feelings and flickers of memory dancing across his mind before skipping away and leaving another in its place. All the moments when Trip coaxed him into remembering the right word; the times he caught Trip talking to the other scientists, telling them to back off, that he was going through a rough time, but to let him do his own work, don’t just do it for him; each smile, pat on the shoulder, and laugh that he got out of him. They seemingly danced through his mind, leaving him to breath quicker as realization struck him. He liked Trip, no he Likes Trip.   
As if hearing his thoughts race, Trip’s eyes opened and he stretched.  
“Sleep well Fitz?” He asked, voice scratchy from sleep. Fitz just looked at him for a minute, not trusting his own voice, not sure what would come out, what he would say. Instead, he carefully got to his feet and went to the shelf containing the crystal.  
“Between the two of us, we can probably carry a lot of these shards.” Trip watched the Scottish engineer carefully. He could tell that something was bothering the younger man, but he didn’t want to pry. If Fitz wanted to tell him, he would. If not, that was his business, not Trip’s.  
“You’re right. We should stick together though. Just because I’ve never seen anyone else doesn’t mean that no one is out there.” Trip decided, standing up and grabbing a bag off one of the shelves. As they made their way out of the chose haven, Trip couldn’t help but keep a close eye on Fitz. The younger male had clearly changed so much from when he’d disappeared, and all of a sudden he had been thrust into this situation. There would be a moment when everything caught up to him and he cracked.  
Trip remembered that moment very clearly. It was the only time he had seen a portal while he was in this place. It had been shrinking when he saw it, but he had sprinted towards it. He had just brushed it with his fingertips when it disappeared completely, leaving him alone in the silence once more. He had blanked out for some time before it had struck him that he was lost. He was alone. His one chance of escape was gone. He was trapped. He remembered screaming, raging, crying. He remembered punching the walls, throwing pieces of the crystal everywhere. Nothing had changed though, and he lost hope. He knew, deep down, that when that moment came for Fitz, it would be devastating.   
“Trip? You okay?” Fitz asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. The Scot’s bag was slowly filling up with shards, but Trip had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed anything.  
“Yeah, just lost in thought. Sorry.” Fitz nodded.  
“Don’t be. I get the same way.” Trip couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. He was well aware of Fitz’s lost in thought moments. The kid could blank out for hours at a time if someone didn’t remind him that the real world was still moving. At least, he had when he left.  
“How long has it been? I mean, since I…” Trip asked suddenly. He knew that time had passed, but with as different as Fitz was, it could have been a trying year, or almost a decade for all he knew.  
“… two years. It felt like much longer though.” Fitz admitted hesitantly. He had changed so much, done so many things…  
“Agreed. Time, it doesn’t really exist here. I had no way of knowing what’s a day, what’s a minute. Are Coulson and May alright? What about Simmons? And Skye?”  
“Actually, she goes by Daisy now. That guy who tried to kill you? Her dad. She… she found her family. Then they tried to kill her.” He stated bluntly. There was no way to phrase it any better.  
“I’ll tell you everything once we get back to the room. But, can we please not talk about it now?” He begged. Trip nodded his assent. He would gladly respect Fitz’s feelings and privacy. But he had one major question.  
“Are they at least all still alive?” Fitz looked down at the ground.  
“They’re alive. But no one’s really in the best place right now.” With that, he fell silent, unwilling to keep talking, lest he break down and spill everything that has happened in the hallway. The two walked in silence, faint clicks breaking the stillness as they each picked up shards of the Terrigen crystal.   
Fitz rounded the corner, and froze in place. There in front of him was a small circle of shifting light, spinning and sparking with golden light.  
“Trip? Trip! It’s a portal! We can get out!” He called back. Trip jogged over towards him and stared at the now growing light, his eyes widened with shock and sadness. Fitz smacked him on the arm and took off running, dropping the bag of crystals as he went. Trip sprinted after him.  
“Fitz, wait!” he cried out, hoping to keep his friend from being hurt. Fitz ignored him, running towards the way out. He didn’t see Trip stopping a foot behind him as he came face to face with the portal. He spun around, hope written on his face, even as the portal slowly shrank.  
“Let’s go!” He said. Trip looked back at him with a sad smile.   
“Fitz…” The Scot shook his head.   
“No, we can get out!” he repeated, glancing behind him. The portal continued to shrink.  
“Fitz, please.” The taller man almost begged as the engineer turned around and stared at the portal before turning to look at his companion.  
In a split second, Fitz made a decision. He lunged forward, grabbed Trip’s arm and yanked him towards him and the portal. Their combined momentum and weight tossed the duo backwards, Trip protectively curling an arm around Fitz’s neck.  
Their backs hit the ground just as the portal closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger! It just felt like the right place to end it, and I already have the next, most likely shorter, chapter planned out. When my muse decides to like me enough to help me write it to my satisfaction, it will be posted! Comments are always appreciated, but flames will be used to make popcorn and heat up hot chocolate. Or summon a god to help me study and not have a mental breakdown. It's the week before finals, can you blame me?


End file.
